INFLUENCE OF SUPERABSORBENT POLYMERS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF PEPPER UNDER SOILLESS CULTURE

Creation of optimal conditions for plant roots, with minimal expense of water and nutrient elements, is one of the most important issues in soilless culture.
SAPs (superabsorbent polymer) are materials that have the ability to absorb and retain large volumes of water and aqueous solutions.
The problem of creation and study of structure and properties of highly swelling hydrogels do not only lose the actuality, but is still getting more and more actual because of significant expansion of spheres of its application and usage.
The aim of researches is to elucidate the influence of polymers applying on the productivity and qualitative indices of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under soilless cultivation.
The studies were carried out in the open-air hydroponics conditions, in the Ararat Valley.
The different quantities of polymer on the base of Ca2+ ion were tested.
Productivity, physiological, biochemical and radiochemical peculiarities of pepper depending on the presence of polymer in the root-inhabited media, has been determined.
It is found out that the presence of polymer in substrate, irrespective of its quantity, promoted the decrease of 90Sr content in the fruits and leaves+stems of pepper 1.3 and 1.5 times accordingly, in comparison to the control.
The presence of polymer in substrate, irrespective of its quantity, promoted the increase of 137Cs content in all organs of pepper with the comparison to the control variant.
That is to say, the polymer (with the absorbed nutrient solution continuously contacting with the plant roots) promoted 137Cs transportation with the chain of nutrient solution-plant system.
Irrespective of the method of plant cultivation (soil, hydroponics) the presence of polymer Ca2+ in substrate (irrespective of its quantity) is the definite factor of radionuclides absorption by roots and the distribution in different organs.